Congratulations to Dr. Geoffrey Fong on receiving a $2.57 million grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) for an international project titled “The Global Prevention of Disease (GPrev) Project: From Evidence Synthesis to Simulation Modeling to Population Impact-Estimating the Effects of Tobacco Control Policies on Smoking Reduction and Lives Saved in Five Diverse Low- and Middle-Income Countries”.
Tobacco use continues to be the leading cause of preventable deaths worldwide, but some countries have not fully implemented proven policies – such as graphic health warnings and smoke-free laws - to reduce its use. This gap disproportionally affects some populations, leading to persistent and widening health inequities.
The Global Prevention of Disease (GPrev) Project will address this challenge by developing a novel global evidence system that translates high-quality tobacco control research into clear, policy-relevant estimates of population health impact. Building on more than 20 years of research across 31 countries of the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Project, GPrev will synthesize this global evidence using advanced data integration methods and population health simulation models to estimate the long-term impact of implementing two key FCTC policies — graphic health warnings and comprehensive smoke-free laws — in five low- and middle-income countries: China, Morocco, Zambia, Tanzania, and Guatemala, which have not yet implemented these key policies.
The project will estimate reductions in smoking prevalence, smoking-attributable deaths, and gains in life expectancy, including differences across socioeconomic groups, gender, and other equity-relevant characteristics in each of the five countries, through close collaborations with key stakeholders (government and civil society) in each country. The outcomes will help governments, the World Health Organization, and civil society make evidence-informed policy decisions.
Congratulations to Dr. Fong and the project team!
